New Law Will Require Animal Abusers To Be Registered Like Sex Offenders

December 22nd, 2017

By Jonathan Maes

Contributor at Animal Channel

In some states and cities, animal abusers will now be registered on a blacklist, similar to a sex offender list. This is a major victory for animal rights, as the measure will prevent offenders from coming near pets and it also gives people a peace of mind. The ultimate goal is to stop animal abuse altogether, and an animal abusers registry is a huge step forward towards that goal.

Unfortunately, animal cruelty is something that occurs all around the world and it happens more often than many would think. According to Statistic Brain, the average number of reported animal abuse cases is 1,920 per year in the United States alone.

People who are found guilty of animal abuse can now be identified via a specific registry, not unlike a sex offender registry.

Pet shops, vets and individuals will have access to it, so that everyone knows whether a person could be trusted with an animal.

Tennessee is the first and currently only state with an animal abuse registry, although large cities are using the idea as well. New York City, Cook County and Tampa Bay have followed Tennessee’s example and have a citywide registry, which includes everyone convicted of animal cruelty.

“We know there is a very strong correlation between animal abuse and domestic violence,” Suffolk County legislator Jon Cooper said. “Almost every serial killer starts out by torturing animals, so in a strange sense we could end up protecting the lives of people.”

More states and cities could follow, and setting up a registry is currently under consideration in the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, Oregon and Washington.

Of course, it would be much better if all fifty states would register animal abusers, but the first step in the right direction has definitely been taken.

The registry is simple. Anyone can request to access the list at a local county office, and it will include a full name of offenders, a picture, the conviction date, the crime they’ve committed and the expiration date.

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Convicted people have to pay a $50 fine and must provide a picture and any aliases they might be using. If someone refuses to do so, they risk a prison sentence of a year and can be fined up to a thousand dollars.

In any case, the animal abuse registries will go a long way to putting a halt to animal abuse.

It’s also perfect for people who are looking for a sitter to make sure their pets are safe and sound, or to reassure animal shelters and shops that pets will have a loving home.

The animal abuse registry definitely helps protect our furry friends, and we can only hope that more states will follow to end animal cruelty once and for all.